France, Vichy. A Croix de Guerre (War Cross) 1939-1942
Instituted in 1939. Type I (Republic Issue). In bronze, marked "1939-1942" on the reverse centrepiece, measuring 38.3 mm (w) x 45.5 mm (h) inclusive of its laterally-pierced ball suspension, bronze star on its original ribbon, very light contact, near extremely fine.
Footnote: The Croix de Guerre was instituted on September 26, 1939, to award individual and group mention in dispatch citations in a similar manner as the Great War Croix de Guerre. Similarly, ribbon emblems of stars and palms are granted to indicate the level of the citation. Shortly after the Fall of France and the armistice of June 1940, the newly installed Vichy government decided to simply annul the 1939 Croix de Guerre and institute their own version. The Vichy version was very similar but with modified reverse dates and the ribbon was changed from green and red, to green and black. The wearing of the first type ribbon was no longer permitted and recipients of the first types cross had to change the ribbon to the Vichy version. In 1944, the Committee of National Liberation restored the original version of the cross and ribbon.

